Sugar Mills should ensure ethanol to oil companies: Pawar

NEW DELHI - Union Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday appealed to the sugar mills to ensure continuous and adequate supplies of ethanol to the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) not only to make ethanol blending programme a success in India, but also to ensure adequate price for ethanol as well as sugar in all the years.

Railways to introduce pilot ‘Yuva Trains’

NEW DELHI - Union Railways Ministry on Tuesday said that it will soon introduce the first ever ‘Yuva Trains’ which are targeted mainly for the unemployed youths of the country.

Kapil Sibal briefs Lord Mandelson on India’s education sector

NEW DELHI - Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday called on U.K. Business Secretary Lord Mandelson in the national capital and underlined India’s intent to expand education sector without compromising the quality.

Divorced, destitute women will now get pension in Delhi

NEW DELHI - The Delhi government Tuesday announced that monthly pension of Rs.1,000 would be given to divorced, separated, abandoned, deserted and destitute women in the capital.

Miliband wishes Krishna to attend Conference on Afghanistan in London

NEW DELHI - British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Tuesday invited External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna to attend the Conference on Afghanistan to be held in London on January 28, 2010.

Jairam Ramesh makes statement in RS on climate accord at Copenhagen

NEW DELHI - Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said that the climate change accord presented in Copenhagen was not legally binding.

China bent upon cutting India down to size: Mishra

NEW DELHI - Describing China as hegemonistic and very aggressive, former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra today called on the Indian Government to adopt the right combination of strategic and diplomatic policies to counter Beijing’s dangerous designs.

Rathore sentencing evokes outrage (Roundup)

CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI - The six-month jail term awarded to former Haryana director general of police (DGP) S.P.S. Rathore for molesting a 14-year-old girl almost two decades ago that led her to commit suicide caused outrage among activists and figured in parliament Tuesday with everyone saying the sentence was too light.

Russia demands probe into rape of its national in Goa

NEW DELHI - Russian Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin has asked the Indian government to investigate and punish the rapists of his country’s national in Goa. n this context, the Russian envoy visited Ministry of External Affair and met the concerned officials.

Efforts to preserve 2000-Year old Tulu culture(Article)

NEW DELHI -The month of December was marked by agitations in different parts of the country for the carving out of separate states like Telangana in Andhra Pradesh, Gorkhaland in West Bengal, Bodoland in Assam, Vidharbha in Maharashtra and Harit Pradesh in Uttar Pradesh.

Onus on Pakistan to make grounds for dialogue to take place: Shashi Tharoor

New Delhi, Dec 22 (ANI): Reacting to the comments made by Pakistan’s High Commissioner in India, Shahid Malik, that India is not fulfilling its commitments to de-link the composite talks from action on terrorism, Minster of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said the onus is on Pakistan to make the ground for a suitable dialogue.

Delay in submarine construction rings alarm bell in Indian Navy

NEW DELHI -The delay in construction of submarines has raised concerns for the Indian Navy which Tuesday said that its underwater capability would be reduced by 50 percent by 2015.

Ex-Oz envoy to India appointed Chair of Australia-India Council

NEW DELHI - Former Australian High Commissioner to India John McCarthy has been appointed as the new Chair of the Australia-India Council (AIC).

Copenhagen Accord: Jairam Ramesh to make statement in Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI - Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh will on Tuesday make a statement in the Rajya Sabha on the Copenhagen Accord.

CBI arrests Delhi Police inspector for bribery

NEW DELHI - The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Delhi Police inspector for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs.3,000 for closing a cheque-bouncing case, an official said Tuesday.

China bent on cutting India down to size: Former NSA

NEW DELHI - Terming China hegemonistic and very aggressive, former national security advisor (NSA) Brajesh Mishra Tuesday called for the right combination of strategic and diplomatic policies to defend India against Beijing’s containing policies.

India and Israel in anti-terror front

NEW DELHI - Counter-terrorism and intelligence sharing, delivery of weapons and enhancement of cooperation in research and development were high on the agenda as a joint working group on defence between India and Israel met here Tuesday.

President to be on board INS Viraat Wednesday

NEW DELHI - President Pratibha Patil will be on board the country’s lone aircraft carrier INS Viraat in Mumbai Wednesday, close on the heels of becoming the first woman to fly in an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jet.

Nursery admissions: parents and school body at loggerheads

NEW DELHI - Just a week after the nursery admissions process began in the capital with the promise of being “much smoother” than previous years, complaints have started pouring in from parents about irregularities in different schools. School bodies, however, deny the allegations.

2010 will be bloodier if offensive is launched: Maoist leader Kishanji (IANS Interview)

NEW DELHI - If 2009 was bad, 2010 would be “bloodier” if the government goes ahead with its planned offensive against the Maoist jungle bases, a top guerrilla leader has vowed while warning of more retaliatory violence in the months to come.

Some of the most sensational crimes of the year (Flashback 2009)

NEW DELHI - The alleged rape and murder of two women in Shopian in Kashmir, the kidnap and murder of a call centre employee in Delhi, the gang rape of a management student in Noida, the mysterious death of a Muthoot house scion in Kerala, and actor Shiney Ahuja’s arrest for allegedly raping his maid were some of the

Indian classical music coincides with spirituality: Khan brothers

NEW DELHI - Young sarod maestros Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan, the sons of legendary sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, feel Indian classical music has an edge over its counterparts “in terms of years”.

Harassed by in-laws, woman jumps with kids before train

NEW DELHI - A 26-year-old woman died and her two children sustained serious injuries when she jumped with them in front of a train in capital Monday, allegedly following continuous harassment from husband and in-laws, police said.

I have travelled crucial ten yards to be here, says Dua

NEW DELHI - Delivering his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha, The Tribune group of newspapers’ Editor-in-Chief H.K.Dua has sought to remind the House that the opportunity to be able to speak in the august House came his way after an odyssey of 45 years in political arena.

Preventing criminals’ entry in legislature is need of the hour, says H.K.Dua

NEW DELHI - Delivering his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha , The Tribune group of newspapers’ Editor-in-Chief H.K.Dua has sought to remind the House that the opportunity to be able to speak in the august House came his way after an odyssey of 45 years in political arena.

SGPC approaches Pakistan High Commission on atrocities over Sikhs and Gurdwaras

NEW DELHI - A delegation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), met the officials of the Pakistan High Commission here on Monday.

Three foreigners arrested with heroin

NEW DELHI - Three foreigners — two from Afghanistan and one from Nigeria — were arrested with 1.5 kg of heroin in the national capital, police said Monday.

Youth held for kidnapping mentally challenged man for ransom

NEW DELHI - A 21-year-old man has been arrested for kidnapping a mentally challenged person of similar age for ransom of Rs 15 lakhs (Rs 1.5 million). The victim has been rescued and is unharmed, police said Monday.

‘Nervous’ Dikshit warns tardy contractors of blacklisting

NEW DELHI - Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who has admitted to being nervous over the preparedness for the Commonwealth Games, Monday said contractors responsible for delay in games projects will be blacklisted.

Large turnout in Jharkhand elections is a stinging rejection of Maoists: Chidambaram

NEW DELHI - Home Minister P. Chidamabaram today said that the 58 per cent overall turnout in the Jharkhand assembly elections should be seen as a stinging rejection of the Maoists.